Matters of the Hart
by Jyl1
Summary: Almost a year has passed since the ordeal with Jyl. The Tenchi gang seems to be back to normal, but as soon as Ryoko lets everyone know a little secret of hers they're back in the line of fire. {R+T} Please R&R!
1. Old Evil

Author's Note: Hello there my pretties, so glad to see you back once again. This idea is still being toyed with as the sequel to "You Owe Me Nothing," but I'll decide by the reviews whether to keep going or start once again. It's unedited, so be careful. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Matters of the Hart

A dark figure hiked up her long bouncing black dress and jogged hastily up a long staircase that led to a gate of both wondrous significance and size. Perhaps it was the menacing way that the great stone doors leered over anything below it in such a manner that made it the center of attention from miles away. 

The figure tried to flatten her frizzled hair in an effort to make herself presentable, but gave up as the top of the stairs neared. Two guards stood on either side of the gate, and swung their spears across the path as she tried to pass.

"_Move,_" she hissed. The guards, both dressed in red and black, gave each other an uncertain look.

"_I said move, you idiots_!" the woman screamed and waved her arms in the directions of the men, flinging them across the foyer. She stomped through the doors haughtily.

Possibly now would be a good time to explain the origin of Jyl. She, like the Jurains, was created by a Goddess. Far before the planets Earth and Jurai were even a thought in their creators mind, Lady Tokimi the Second Goddess, created a powerful race. One that could wield energy and power with words and gestures alone. But she overestimated her creations, and in the end they destroyed each other. Only the most powerful survived; those who could wield the great energy that they were given.

Precious few are these creatures, and they are considered just below the Goddesses themselves. However, Jyl, and her late sister Saviya, were only two of this long forgotten race.

"_Hart!_" Jyl yelled across the giant gothic, cathedral-like room. Her voice rung throughout the stonework without her mouth even moving. She glared at the ancient statues and stained glass as she passed fuming with rage. At last she came to an elaborately decorated blood red throne. It seemed to dominate the room in it's entirety.

"Jyl, what brings you here?" barely visible among the red velvet sat a woman who wore different shades of blood red. Her hair was a strawberry blond that faded into darker shades near the tips, such as her bangs and the intricately woven braid that fell to her knees. "And sane as ever, I can see," she smirked.

"_You know good and damn well why I'm here. You've been watching, I know,_" Jyl pointed an accusing finger at her.

"And once again I am discovered. I must tell you Jyl, you play with your food far too much. You could have just killed them. Why even bother to let them leave? Make them go through your traps and such and trip them right before they get to the finish line."

"_I keep my promises. I promised to let them leave, and now I promise that Masaki will rue the day he defied my will._"

"How do you propose to do that. And do talk with your mouth open. It's a rather rude habit you've formed, you know," the one called Hart stepped down from her throne, showing off her revealing black leather strapped outfit complete with boot-heels, and grabbed Jyl's cheeks with on of her hands. Using her thumb and forefinger she pressed Jyl's lips together into a pucker.

She glared and pulled away from her sister. "_I want your help Hart. No, I demand your help. As your elder sister I demand it._"

"Oh do you?" Hart smiled and twirled until she found herself back in her over-decorated throne. "Lucky for you I'll help you, poor, pitiful Jyl. You see, I have discovered your fatal mistake. The flaw that brought the whole thing down around your ears."

"_And what… _what do you believe it to be? Hanks in the soup pot," she blurted. "_Damn it, do you see what happens when I speak with my mouth!?_"

"Clearly you are insane, dear one. But not to worry. You see, both your and Saviya's, mistake was that you tried to pierce Masaki on a physical level. You both fail to notice the many emotions that run through his extended family," Hart grinned. "I'm more of a player with… matters of the heart."

*

The blistering heat had taken Okayama quite by storm, no pun intended. The sky lacked it's usual cloudy appearance, but to make the disordered weather worse the wind stubbornly refused to blow.

Things were particularly dreary up in the mountains, near a small shrine. The air around it was sticky and humid, making all residents of the area miserable. The lush verdure of the spring were writhing in the heat, wilting prior to when they should. Crickets chirped loudly and quickly, making it seem like the ground was alive and hissing as the harsh sun rays hit it.

In the midst of this certain heat wave lay a sullen, ill-tempered woman who cursed anything that moved. 

In an attempt to remove herself from the sweltering sun, the demoness of the local shrine had tried to find shelter amongst the thick forest opposite the Masaki household. The house itself was no cooler than the outdoors at this point, and it seemed senseless to idle around and be scolded persistently about her lethargic ways. Being the demoness she was, she had quite harshly rejected this form of laborious captivity.

And thus Ryoko lays under a tree, praying to the Goddesses for a breeze in trade for her soul. Her hair is pulled up off her neck and is drenched at the roots with salty sweat, and her attire consists of a cut off tank top and a pair of tight shorts. Both items stick to Ryoko's salubrious body which glistens with sweat. With all of these factors, an image of this sort would be considered tantalizing to the average male.

Too bad Ryoko didn't feel the least bit sexy at the moment. She felt rather bloated, as though the heat were causing her insides to swell. For a moment she considered jumping in the lake, but the thought of moving in this heat made her sweat more.

"Where are we, the center of the sun?" she muttered discontentedly to no one in particular. She winced as an apple fell from the tree above and knocked her on the head. Ryoko glared up at the tree, rubbing the spot that had been inflicted. Slowly she leaned back into her former position below the tree, glaring at it. After a while she closed her eyes, secretly hoping that the inside of her eyelids would be cold.

And slowly it dawned on Ryoko that, A) apples were not in season, and B) she was definitely not sitting under an apple tree. She eyed the apple on the ground, and now observing that the fallen fruit had a few bites taken out of it. Ryoko lurched forward and cut her eyes up to the thick branches just as a few leaves drifted downward.

There was a rustling noise as a large, overly-cheerful and yet still devious grin appeared before her.

"What do you want, Washu?" Ryoko asked testily.

"Want? Why can't a mother just be with her daughter without being suspected of _wanting_ anything," Washu laughed. She hung upside down from the tree, her legs wrapped firmly around a thick branch as her giant mass of pink hair swayed back and forth. "But since you mention it there is some-!" she was cut off by a loud cracking sound just above her. Washu's smile gave way to a look of confused dismay seconds before she landed face first in the ground, followed by a branch twice her size.

Ryoko rolled over laughing as she watched her twelve-year-old mother scramble beneath the giant burden. At long last Washu pulled herself from the wreckage and glared at Ryoko. "That's right, laugh it up, fat ass," Washu said grudgingly.

Ryoko stopped her horseplay immediately and brought herself to her knees, pointing an accusing digit at Washu. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nevermind. I just came to tell you it's time for your monthly checkups," Washu informed her daughter. She walked off, trying to retain her dignity.

"Hey!" Ryoko stared after her fiercely, "I don't need a checkup! I'm fine," she called out. When no response came, Ryoko leaned back against a tree, resigned to be as stubborn as possible. Her will gave in when she remembered that Washu had extreme air-conditioner in her lab.

She vanished, appearing in Washu's chilled laboratory. Ryoko stood on the other side of the door, tapping her foot impatiently when Washu walked in.

"I knew you'd come, eventually," Washu smiled.

"Pff. Let's get this over with," Ryoko blew her cooperation off as soon as it was mentioned.

"C'mon, then," Washu sauntered through her domain, Ryoko close in tail.

After more walking than Ryoko would have liked to have done, the leader stopped, standing proudly before one of her many inventions.

"Tadaa!" Washu beamed.

Ryoko scratched her head, "What?"

"It's new, can't you tell?" Washu said, slightly put off.

"No. Looks just like the other one."

"Well, it's more efficient, anyway. Now strip off all your clothes and climb on in," Washu retreated to a floating cushion next to one of her semi-transparent computers.

"Hey now! I never had to take off my clothes before!"

"Oh, like you actually care," Washu derided Ryoko. "Now get in there!"

Ryoko shot one more angry look at her mother before slipping off her clothes and climbing up to the platform.

Metallic ropes came from nowhere and gripped around her arms and legs, holding her down. An almost comical hat with light bulbs on it lowered from the ceiling and planted itself firmly on the crown of her head. The wires became taut, stretching her limbs in all directions. A large metal ring moved up and down around her a few times, scanning her body.

"Done yet?" Ryoko yelled anxiously when the ring had stopped moving.

"Not… just… yet…" Washu said, concentrating on her typing. "And… here.. we… go!" She hit one last button and awaited the results.

"What d'ya mean? I thought we were done-!" Ryoko shook slightly as light climbed up the metalic wires and shocked her for a good five minutes.

For a moment Ryoko's head lolled from side to side, as she struggled to comprehend what had happened, a sleepy look on her face. A slight steam rose from her body.

"Washu! What the hell was that!" she yelled at last.

"I told you it was different. Much more effective than I thought, too. It gives me in depth investigations on every cell, down to the last atom," she said, clearly satisfied.

"The last one didn't hurt so much," Ryoko almost whined. The ropes retracted back into the recesses of the lab and let Ryoko free once more. She rubbed her wrists, trying to get the feeling to return as clothes appeared on her body. She stepped down from the platform and joined her mother, who was watching a vid-screen with a silhouette of Ryoko on it.

"So…" Ryoko said to the screen, "anything I should know about?"

"Nothing yet. It's still loading though. Still a chance you could have an incurable disease in the lower half of you body," she said dryly.

"Ah. What ever will we do if my ass has cancer," Ryoko said, reflecting the wit in Washu's voice. She smiled slightly at her own joke.

"Whoa now!" Washu jumped as the last portion of the data finished.

"What? What is it?" Ryoko asked with reacting to the sudden alarm in Washu's voice.

"Well, your ass is saved, at least-" 

"-Thank the Goddesses-"

"But it seems you have been quite the careless little harlot," she grinned at her daughter. "So, in actuality, you can kiss your buns of steel goodbye."

"W-What are you saying?" Ryoko asked, backing away from Washu.

*

"Teeenchiiii!" Mihoshi called. "Tenchi, where on earth are you?" she giggled at the thought of playing a game with Tenchi.

Mihoshi wasn't someone Tenchi particularly wanted to see right now… especially since she wore a torn up belly shirt and cut off hot pants that clung to her body like skin. This outfit, on it's own, was something like the revealing outfits Ryoko (the queen of sex appeal) wears.

Sasami peered down the hallway curiously at the scantly clad GP officer.

"Um… Mihoshi… do you think you could… change?" she asked sheepishly.

Mihoshi looked confused, and stared down at herself. Slowly, she smiled as she understood. Or thought she did, anyway.

"Oh! You're so right! I'll go sunbathing! Then I won't have to wear _anything_! It's the prefect weather, too," she said in a chipper voice.

Sasami faltered. "Er… just make sure Tenchi doesn't see you. Miss Ryoko and Ayeka-chan would probably be… very upset," she finished off. 

"Of course! And you can come with me!" Mihoshi grabbed Sasami by the wrist and pulled her to their room to prepare.

Twenty minutes later the two girls emerged from their room wearing bathing suites and carrying towels, sunglasses and sun block. Sasami was still being dragged around by Mihoshi as they climbed up the tin shingled room.

Mihoshi spread out her towel expertly, as if she had done this thousands of times. Ritualistically she lay back, stripping herself of the skimpy bikini she wore.

"I don't want bathing suit tan," she explained to Sasami, who had turned pink as she took off her bathing suit as well. She hid her undeveloped body, conscious now more than ever that Mihoshi was the most buxom of the girls in the house.

Mihoshi poured the lotion into her hand and offered it to Sasami, oblivious of the little girl's self-consciousness. Sasami took it thankfully and applied it as modestly as possible.

A slight thrill ran up her back as she thought of Tenchi finding the she and Mihoshi on the roof, and she blushed a deeper shade of crimson. Laying back, Sasami began to feel more at ease with the naked GP officer. There was a hint of pride as she smiled, thinking about how she was old enough to spend a day with Mihoshi, doing the things girls do best.

"Say Mihoshi," she said after a while, "do you wanna have a sleep over or something?" 

"But Sasami, we sleep in the same room every night," Mihoshi pointed out.

"No, I mean we could stay up all night and play games and watch movies and talk about... girl stuff," Sasami said, proving herself to be a true adolescent. "And just the two of us. Nobody else, except Ryo-oki, of course."

Mihoshi turned over excitedly and smiled. "Oh, I'd love to! It'll be so much fun!" she giggled.

"Sasami?" a voice yelled from below. The two girls peered over the edge to find Mikayu looking up at them.

Mikayu had only been with the Masaki's for six months, whereas the rest of the girls had been residents for nearly a year and a half. The school-girl-drop-out has silver hair and frosty white eyes. About five months ago the group discovered she had two secrets, only one of which she knew about. First was that she was the only lesbian (minus Ryoko, because technically experiments don't count) in the house. Second was that she was the Fourth Goddess, and when called upon is a powerful defense of Earth, created by both Washuu and Tsunami. Unfortunate for Mikayu, she knows very little of how to wield or control her powers.

"Hey up there!" Mikayu smiled, shielding the sun from her eyes. "Whatchya doin'?"

"We're sunbathing! Come on up!" Mihoshi motioned for Mikayu to come up before both girls retreated to their towels.

In a few minutes Mikayu joined the girls on the roof. She pulled a futon that had been drying on a clothes line and used it to lay on, stripping herself of her clothes in the way the other two did.

"We were just talking about me, Mihoshi and Ryo-oki having a slumber party!" Sasami giggled.

"Oh?" Mikayu seemed gloomy at the mention of this.

"But you can come, of course," Sasami assured her. "We'll have lots of fun without Sister and Ryoko and Tenchi," she said this almost spitefully.

"But why exclude them?" Mikayu asked.

Sasami turned back to face the sky. "They do lots of big girl things with Tenchi… and without me. We'll have… a younger girl's night out!" Sasami declared.

Mikayu and Mihoshi smiled at the thought of this and quieted down, absorbing the warm rays of the noon-day sun.

*

"And you're sure about this?" Ryoko asked, hopeful that the answer would be negative.

"Yup," Washu confirmed.

"Positive?"

"One-hundred percent. Now then, I'd like to know the means by which you… er… have found yourself in this situation," Washu gave her daughter a sly look.

"What, you mean, details?" Ryoko defended her privacy.

"No, no, no! But… Tenchi?" Washu was now the one hoping for a negative answer.

Ryoko gave her a look of uncertainty and nodded, slowly.

"How long?" Washu asked, not really needing to go in depth with the question. Ryoko knew what she meant.

"Since we escaped from Jyl… almost half a year now."

"Oh, Ryoko-chan. You certainly are in a pickle now. What will you tell him?"

Ryoko looked scared, a very rare emotion on the Queen of Space Pirate's face. "I'll think of something, I guess…"

*

Ayeka sat pertly in the bath, sipping at a cup of sake. She peered around her cautiously, and making sure there was absolutely no one in the room, grabbed the whole bottle of sake. She then tipped the entire thing into her mouth as she had seen Ryoko do so many times.

Ayeka reviewed what had happened the previous night. She, Tenchi and Ryoko had stayed up late again, listening to Ryoko's jovial stories over a few glasses of sake and not daring to question if they were real of just something Ryoko made up.

Tenchi had been forced to drink the sake and was very drunk at the time. He laughed loudly at all of Ryoko's jokes, and even some of her advances.

Ayeka, who was usually passive at this time of the night, was just the opposite of her normal behavior. Vaguely the princess remembered coming on to Tenchi.

Ayeka cringed as she recalled her disgusting display. She had sunk to Ryoko's level, and blamed it completely and totally on the alcohol.

And that was when Sasami had come out, sleepily watching the three. She begged Ayeka to come to bed, but Ayeka had refused, telling Sasami that the "big girls" were having some alone time with Tenchi.

She had seen the hurt in Sasami's face. Never had age actually separated the two, since all their lives they only had each other for playmates. But Sasami had nearly burst into tears when Ayeka declared this fact to the minor.

And what was worse was that Ayeka, being extremely drunk at the time, hadn't reacted to Sasami's emotions as she normally would by comforting her.

The next morning when Ayeka awoke Sasami was gone. She found her little sister in the kitchen, but Sasami hadn't seemed very talkative. For the rest of the day Sasami had been careful in avoiding Ayeka, and thought that Ayeka didn't notice.

She took a deep breath of air and let the warm water wrap itself around her, thoroughly depressed about the days antics. Not only was there no Sasami, but no Ryoko, either. This might've been a plus if Tenchi hadn't been working all day.

*

When Ryoko and Washu finally emerged from the lab, it was just about dinner time. But the house wasn't filled with the familiar smells of Sasami's delicious cooking.

"Strange," Washu said after investigating the kitchen. It seemed oddly lifeless without the bustling twelve-year-old. "wonder what's for dinner."

"Nothing, I guess. Wonder where Sasami is…" Ryoko asked the cabinets as she searched for instant noodles.

"What d'ya mean?" Tenchi walked in, shirt off and covered in sweat, causing Ryoko to smile deviously. Quickly remembering her disposition, she hid her face behind a cabinet door and scanned it hurriedly.

Seeing her daughter's apparent embarrassment, Washu smiled. "You guys just let me know when Sasami gets back, kay?" Washu said with contemptuous mirth. She exited the room, giving Ryoko a strong slap on the behind and receiving a loathsome glare.

"Waasshhuuu…" Ryoko gritted through her teeth.

"Hm, strange. No Sasami, no Mihoshi, no Ayeka. Maybe they went out with Mikayu. She said she was going to town…"

"No idea," Ryoko avoided Tenchi as he made his way closer to her. He turned, happy to be alone with Ryoko at last, only to find that she was searching distractedly through the many shelves of canned foods. Tenchi wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the back of her neck, causing Ryoko to freeze.

Gradually she pulled his hands from her waist and turned around to face him, then replacing his hands back around her torso. She kissed him deeply before pulling him off and moving back over to the counter, where she drummed her fingers.

"What's the matter?" Tenchi asked, surprised she stopped so soon. No response came. "Ryoko?"

"Hm?" she said, now looking at him as though he hadn't said anything.

"I said 'what's the matter?' Didn't you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry. Look, I think I'll try and make dinner tonight, sound good?"

A sweat drop appeared on one side of Tenchi head. "Um… Ryoko… let's just order out or something… please?"

"Nonsense, I can do it," she floated towards Tenchi and placed her mouth at his ear so that he could feel her voice on his neck as she purred, "what makes you think I can't?"

At this, Tenchi's insides melted. "Er… go ahead. I'm gonna go take a bath, I'm covered in dirt." He turned, only to be caught by the hand and pulled back again. Ryoko moved Tenchi's hand along the side of her face.

"Can I come?" she asked sultrily.

"Er… you better not. Besides, what about dinner?" Seeing the determination in her face, he changed his mind. "Ya know what, I'm not gonna after all. I'll… go get Sasami…?" Tenchi escaped just barely and ran out the door.

Ayeka walked in to find Ryoko glaring at the door.

"Where's Sasami?" she asked, noticing her absence.

"What? Oh. Sasami. She's… somewhere… Tenchi went to find her. C'mon, Ayeka. We're makin' dinner tonight."

*

Once outside, Tenchi scanned the backyard. "Sasami!" Mihoshi! Mikayu, where are you?" he yelled, his voice echoing and returning to him.

Sasami's eyelashes fluttered and she turned over to her stomach. She didn't hear him climbing up on the roof for a better view of everything, nor the quick intake of breath as he gasped.

However, she did hear Tenchi trip and fall clumsily at Mihoshi's feet. All three of the girls sat up, shocked at first. When she remembered that she was naked, Sasami screamed and covered herself as best she could. Tenchi held his hands tightly over his eyes and faced away from them, turning a bright crimson.

"S-sorry," his words garbled together.

"It's ok, Tenchi! Come on up with us!" Mihoshi smiled and approached him, giving Tenchi a hug.

"No!" Sasami yelled. She looked to Mikayu desperately. When Mikayu caught her look, she turned to Mihoshi.

"Maybe you should let Tenchi go, Mihoshi," she reasoned.

Mihoshi looked let down and released him. "I-I just came to tell you Ryoko was gonna make dinner, Sasami," Tenchi gulped and fled. Sasami stared longingly after him. She had been secretly hoping he would stay... as long as she got a bathing suit, of course. 

*

"No! Put two teaspoons of salt! Not tablespoons! Ryoko what are you doing!?" Ayeka screeched, clunking the daydreaming Ryoko over the head with a heavy wooden spoon.

"Ow! You bitch! What was that for?"

The recipe calls for two tsp.'s. Not tbs.'s! You've ruined it!"

"It was ruined when you decided to put unions in!" Ryoko retorted, waving a saltshaker in the air and thus sprinkling the girls with salt.

"I happen to like unions, thank you! And they will give the dish an exotic taste."

"Oh, yea. Exotic, all right. Exotic like cat shit."

"Why… you…" Ayeka gritted through her teeth, boiling with indignation. The whites of her knuckles blanched as she clenched them. She reached for the dumplings that she had been rolling and smeared two in Ryoko's face.

Ryoko waited till Ayeka was completely done relieving her anger before wrapping her fingers around a large ladle, dipping it into the large soup pot and slung it at Ayeka.

And the game was on.

Ayeka dodged a flying bread roll before smashing a tomato in her hands and tossing the goop at Ryoko, who received it right in the face. Ryoko then decided that the salad needed a chance to fly. Ayeka held up a large serving platter to dodge the soaring salad and in turn launched an attack of fried noodles.

"You want onions? I'll give you onions!" Ryoko grabbed a handful of diced onions and hovered above Ayeka, smashing the lot into her hair.

"That's it!" Ayeka screeched, picking the foul smelling vegetable from her tresses. She reached for the rice, the only dish they had prepared correctly, and poured the bowl over Ryoko's head, covering her with the sticky Japanese recipe. Ryoko reached for a sake bottle, unscrewing the cap.

It was at that time that Tenchi entered. He received the sake that Ayeka had so artfully dodged. And thus ending the fight.

"What did you guys do!?" Tenchi yelled, "What about dinner!?" Sasami entered, followed by Mihoshi and Mikayu. All three girls looked shocked.

Ryoko gave him a sheepish look and reached over to a wall, peeling a dumpling from it and extending the gift to Tenchi, who looked even more furious.

He was about to say something when Ayeka saw Sasami. Knowing her sister the way she did, she was certain the child would have a conniption over the mess.

Instead of speaking to Tenchi, she looked right past him to Sasami. "I'm so sorry! Sasami we'll clean it up right away," she said regretfully. There was something she had to do to make it up to her sister for the other night…

Realizing Ayeka's dismay, Sasami smiled. "You don't have to, Ayeka. I'll help," she said cheerfully.

Ayeka looked up surprised. "Oh, Sasami, I'm so sor-" she stopped in the middle of her apology to find Ryoko promptly licking Tenchi.

Noticing the silence that had befallen the room, Ryoko looked around and shrugged. "What? He's covered with sake. Can't let it go to waste…" 

Ayeka wrapped her arms around Ryoko's waist and pried her off. "How dare you defile my love!" she screeched.

"Look, Mihoshi, Mikayu, if you don't mind, would you help supervise these girls and clean up this mess. Sasami you can help if you want to. I'm gonna go call for take-out. I'll be back to help in a few," Tenchi declared, restoring order once again.

*


	2. Newcomers

It was late by the time dinner arrived, and it wasn't nearly as pleasing to the senses as Sasami's cooking was, but to the hungry girls of the Masaki household who had just spent the last few hours scrubbing until they had dishpan hands, it was delicious.

Ryoko shoveled food into her mouth in her normal manner, lines had appeared under her eyes from the stress of the day. She received a sharp jab in the rib cage that no one else seemed to notice.

"What was that for!?" Ryoko hissed. Washu didn't answer, only gave her an encouraging look and went back to eating. After a few moments of quiet confusion, Ryoko understood what her mother had been hinting at.

She swallowed the food in her throat, this being difficult because of the knot that had formed. Quietly Ryoko tried to get the chatting table's attention.

"Excuse me…" she said meekly. A very un-Ryoko-like thing to do. She repeated this, each time getting louder until she screamed. Everyone stopped and stared fixedly at her.

"I-I have an announcement to make…" Washu grabbed her hand under the table, gave it a comforting squeeze and released it.

"Go on, Ryoko," Washu urged.

Ryoko stared at Tenchi as though she was talking to only him. For a moment he fretted that she might reveal the two, and then began thinking that she knew what was best, and if it was time to tell them it was time to tell them. 

"I just wanted to tell you all… while we're together… that… I'm going… to have a baby…"

"What?" Ayeka asked, truly confused. It was nearly impossible to make out Ryoko's voice, which was now barely a squeak.

"I said I'm going to have a baby."

"Speak up, Ryoko!" Yosho yelled.

"I said I'm going to have a baby, you idiots!" Ryoko yelled, turning pink and then several shades of purple and crimson. This was a whole new kind of blush.

An unsettling silence followed this announcement, the only sound in the room was Ayeka soft "Eh… ee… wha?" and Tenchi's mouth that opened and closed in a guffaw.

"R-Ryoko…" Sasami began. "this… is… _wonderful_!" she surprised everyone with the sudden change of mood.

"You mean… we can help raise it and everything! It'll be so much fun," Mihoshi jumped up and down, nodding excitedly with Sasami.

" I agree," Mikayu said after a while, "Ryoko I'm so happy for you!"

Ryoko, meanwhile, was still staring at the ground. She had been looking for Tenchi's reaction the most, and hoping… no, praying that he wouldn't do what he was doing just now. He gave her a look of sheer horror that reflected that of the one she received when he first opened the cave.

Nobuyuki slapped Tenchi heartily on the shoulder. "Ha! It's about time you got it on with one of these ladies! I'm so proud!" he said dramatically.

Tenchi glared at his Father for a moment and then turned back to Ryoko. "W-who's is it, Ryoko?"

Ayeka slammed her glass down on the table. "Yes, tell us, Ryoko, just who's is this bastard's father!"

"Hey now! What the hell are you getting at!?"

"I'm 'getting at' that you are a… a… slut!"

"Sister, why are you so angry? Be happy for Ryoko," Sasami pleaded.

"I'll be happy once I've learned who's the father!" Ayeka screeched, standing up and leaning towards Ryoko on the table. Ryoko took this challenge and did the same.

She wanted to… so badly. To just tell Ayeka that she had won Tenchi. But Ryoko bit her lip. She glanced at Tenchi for a moment and made up her mind.

"It was artificial insemination," she declared. "I wanted to have a baby. Washu supplied me with the… tools necessary."

Ayeka backed down, looking somewhat dismay. "O-oh. I-I apologize, Ryoko" she said, for the first time in her life, "it was… wrong of me… to accuse you…"

Tenchi, on the other hand looked worse than before. His skin tone had turned a greater shade of pail, and he twisted his napkin nervously.

"Have you thought of any names, Ryoko?" Mihoshi asked curiously.

"N-no I haven't" Ryoko sat back down and began picking with her food, every now and again looking up at Tenchi. He never made eye contact.

"What about… for a girl… Mayuka?" Sasami suggested, she and Mihoshi having a private discussion about the child's future.

"And for a boy… Tenchi!" Mihoshi chimed in.

"Absolutely not! That is a family name, and this child is not family," Ayeka said sternly. Feeling slightly like the party-pooper, she added her two-cents. "What about Taro? For a boy, that is."

"No, that would be a family name too, wouldn't it, Ayeka?" Yosho silently scolded his sister for her hypocrisy. "I say 'Yosho.' It's a good, sturdy name. And I don't have a problem with lending it to the little tike. Eh, Ryoko? How's that sound?"

"I'll think of something," Ryoko said after a few moments of contemplation. She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings but the thought of her child's namesake being the man that trapped her in a cave for thousands of years was slightly unsettling.

*

"Which movie do you want to watch first?" Mihoshi scanned through the selection. "We have two horror, two romance, two… tapes that somehow made their way from Nobuyuki's private selection-"

"-Which we will not be watching-" Mikayu said quickly.

"… right. One sci-fi [it's a love story too!] and a couple 'Space Police Policeman' tapes!"

"Let's not watch videos just yet. We've got all night for that. Let's go… searching…" Sasami said mischievously.

"Searching? For what?" Mihoshi asked.

"C'mon, Tenchi's attic is filled with old boxes that have some neat stuff in 'em. I've never really gotten a good look, though. Wanna bring them down here?"

"Isn't that invasion of privacy or something?"

"Silly! We invaded Tenchi's privacy years ago!" Mihoshi said nonchalantly. "Let's go!"

*

Ryoko stirred restlessly in her bed, the image of the disgruntled Tenchi avoiding her gaze haunted her mind. Deciding the only cure for this was a midnight bath, she flopped out of bed and faded from sight.

The warm comforting steam of the Onsen enveloped her, easing her tightened nerves. Ryoko slipped into the warm water and sank in up to her head. She let herself float from the side and drift around one of the waterfalls.

It was quite some time before Ryoko realized she was not alone. Hearing voices, she searched her surroundings frantically for the intruders. 

In the next bath, blocking her from them by some shrubbery, was Ayeka and Tenchi. Ryoko glared at the princess and listened hard, a mischievous hatred filling her. She had had the chance to get rid of the princess, and she hadn't. Ryoko knew she would regret it for life.

"… And I was thinking Tenchi… about us…" Ayeka spoke, nearing Tenchi. Ryoko made sure he was wearing a towel by leaning further over the bushes.

"Us?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"It's obvious that Ryoko is out of our way. She now has a son and won't be able to pursue your affection the way she normally does. I was wondering if you and I could… go out on a date, or something of the like…" Ryoko could tell this speech had been rehearsed many times.

"Hussy" she whispered under her breath.

"Um… Ayeka I'll think about it, ok?" Tenchi said at last. Ayeka seemed satisfied with this answer. She leaned forward and planted a peck of a kiss on his lips before climbing out of the bath, her body radiating with joy. She smiled at him sultrily, as though she had opened a whole new door in simply asking him to go out with her.

After she left, Tenchi leaned back against the edge and stared up at the stars. There was a long silence where only the waterfalls could be heard. Ryoko discovered that she found bliss in just watching him like this.

"You can come out now, Ryoko. She's gone," Tenchi said, still staring at the stars. Ryoko tried not to act surprised as she appeared above Tenchi and slid into the water next to him.

"So," she said after a while, "what are you going to tell her?"

"You tell me, Ryoko."

Ryoko turned, shocked. "What's got you all pissed off?"

"I don't understand, is this my… child or isn't it? Did you just tell them that?"

"N-no. It's not yours" she lied through her teeth, "I spoke the truth."

"Was I not good enough for you? Why didn't you tell me you wanted a baby, Ryoko! I would have been happy to try again!"

"It's not a matter of 'again!' You've always been great, Tenchi," Ryoko couldn't help but smirk at the thought, "each and every time," she licked her lips and then shook her head, trying to keep her mind on the problem at hand. "It would have fucked things up! You know that! And besides, I didn't want to worry you with that kind of thing. You're still young."

Tenchi advanced and wrapped his arms around Ryoko, kissing her neck. "The only thing I'm mad about is that it's not mine. I would give anything to be the father of your first child." Ryoko shut her eyes shut in pain and let a few tears fall on Tenchi's shoulder.

_If you only knew…_

She sniffed and stamped out her sorrows before saying, "So, what are you going to do about Ayeka?"

"Ayeka? I'll do the gentlemanly thing. I'll go out with her and tell her that I just don't want love right now."

"Liar," Ryoko pulled herself from Tenchi and smiled.

"What else can I do," he shrugged, and at seeing her smile began to do the same. Suddenly Tenchi's expression changed till he was very somber. "Ryoko, I want to thank you for not telling Ayeka about us. I could see that you were struggling with it… but in the end you chose not to hurt her. I can't tell you how much more respect I have for you…" he trailed off.

"Yea, well, I just didn't wanna see Sasami leave. That's all," Ryoko said, defending her bitchy attitude.

Tenchi beamed before kissing her lovingly and exiting the bathroom. "Goodnight, Ryo-chan," he whispered so she could just barely hear.

*

When the three girls finally got four of the old musty boxes down from the attic, it was well into the night. Sasami decided to lighten the mood by putting on some music, to which all three couldn't help but dance. Even if it meant just tapping their foot as they rummaged through the boxes.

"Where'd you get this music, Sasami-neechan?" Mikayu asked, pulling out an old Kimono. It was white with light blue designs.

"Wow, that looks amazing with your hair!" Mihoshi said excitedly.

"I got it from a store in town. The girl on the cover looked like the one I have on a kareoke CD somewhere around here… by the way, we'll do kareoke later. First let's get dressed up!"

Mikayu, being the most mature there, decided to play along, still having fun with the two innocent girls. Sasami pulled out a makeup kit she had found in some of Achika's old things mixed with a few of Ayeka's.

By the time the girls finished they had all been primped, plucked, tweezed and squeezed into makeup and kimono's. Their hair was having a vacation from their original styles and was now decorated elaborately with Jurain styles Sasami remembered her Nanny doing to her hair whenever there was a special occasion.

"We… look… amazing!" Mihoshi guffawed as the three stood in front of a mirror. Mikayu stared. She had to hand it to Sasami, the girl knew her stuff. Perhaps that came with royalty…

"I look so much older," Sasami said in quiet amazement as she traced the contours of her newly formed body that had been molded delicately by one of Achika's old kimono's. "I wish Tenchi could see me…"

"You do like him! I knew it," Mikayu said suddenly, causing Sasami to blush.

"Well… sorta…" she said, almost smiling.

"Oh! He'd love to see you in this!" Mihoshi exclaimed. "We should get you two on a date!" she yelled before Mikayu could stop her.

"You really think Tenchi would go out with me?" Sasami asked hopefully.

"Er… sure… Sasami…" Mikayu said, a sweat drop forming on the back of her head.

"Oh! Great! Tomorrow we can ask him for you," Mihoshi didn't notice Mikayu's faces. Sasami turned back to the mirror and admired herself some more.

"Anyone wanna hear a scary story?" Mikayu tried to change the subject.

"Just a minute," Sasami said, getting an idea, "we can take off these outfits just as soon as we get some pictures!" She ran from the room, almost waddling in the restricting outfits.

When Sasami came back, she carried a camera. "It's Nobuyuki's," she explained. "Now then, Mihoshi, start posing. We'll get three of each…"

*

They had lasted long into the night, and having watched both of their horror movies, all three of the girls needed some kind of thrill. They sat in futons with blankets pulled up to their heads, huddled into a circle like conspirators. Sasami held a flashlight just below her chin, casting an eerie glow over her face.

"In these very mountains," she began, "there once lived a young woman. But there was something very strange about this woman, for she was a wielder of the black arts-"

"She liked to paint with the color black?" Mihoshi interrupted, somewhat breaking the mood.

"No, Mihoshi," Mikayu stepped in, "it means she was a witch."

"Oh."

"Anyhow, she was a witch. And she was mean, too. But the worst part was she was beautiful, so all the boys in the village would visit her often. But they never returned. One day a simple farm boy decided to go and find out what happened to his betrothed, who had disappeared a few weeks beforehand. He made his way up to the cottage to find a pretty young maiden, who beckoned him inside. 

"She treated him to a meal as he explained what had happened to his fiancée. Putting the subject aside, the witch began to seduce the boy. Seconds before he was going to give into her, her face changed. She turned into a screeching, howling flesh-hungry beast and chased him around the house. 

"Her jaws wrapped around his legs and she whispered in an evil voice, 'Your girlfriend was with us at dinner.' The boy, realizing he had eaten his betrothed without knowing it, attacked the witch, who turned back to her woman form. Right before he killed her, she placed a curse on him. In this curse, she made sure that he would stalk through the mountains for all eternity, ripping young couples apart and eating the girl. Then he would take the boy and rip ou his innards and string them around a tree for the rest of the village people to see. He was known as the Beast of the Broken Heart."

When Sasami finished, very shadow in the room seemed alive.

"Y-you don't think the beast would come after us, do you?"

"Of course not. Tenchi hasn't chosen one of you guys, so there's no real couple or anything… that would lure… it… here…" Mikayu gulped. Since she had joined the Masaki family her sense of what was real and fake had vanished.

As if on cue, there was a scratching noise from the kitchen.

"I-it's the beast of the brok-ken hearts…" Mihoshi sobbed. A thud from behind them silenced her abruptly.

They watched as a shadow scuttled behind the sofa quickly in horror. It moved from shadow to shadow, disappearing in the darkness.

Seeing that she was about to scream, Mikayu closed her hand around Sasami's mouth. She pulled the child and Mihoshi up onto one of the sofas and grabbed a glass bowl containing sticky nachos.

Mikayu stood, the bowl raised above her head as the dark shadow crawled closer. When it was finally in range, she threw the bowl with a scream.

All three of the girls jumped up and ran for their lives, Mihoshi tripping over one of the four boxes and spilling it's contents.

Sasami dodged for the light switch and flipped it on, searching for the bowl and it's victim.

A small, cheese-covered cabbit mewed miserably as it licked it's sticky fur.

"Ryo-oki!" Mikayu yelled. "You scared the living daylights out of me!"

Sasami was far too happy to speak and scooped up the cabbit hugging it tightly.

"Meowr?"

Mikayu shook her head and helped Mihoshi off the ground. "Look at this mess we've made…" she said under her breath.

"We'll clean it tomorrow," Mihoshi smiled. She looked curiously at the things that had once been in the box and were now sprawled across the room.

"Wow, what's this?" she asked, picking up a book. Mihoshi handed it to Sasami, who flipped through it.

"It's a journal…" she said to herself, "but who's?" Sasami's question was answered as she read one of the first journal entries. It read:

_I have decided to keep a record of my life with my newly born son, Tenchi, for I feel that my time grows shorter and I must preserve these memories…_

*

Hart watched Sasami through her necklace. She needed only to place the cat's eye (it was an actual blind black cat's eye that had been crystallized and strung around a chain) up to hers to see anything she desired.

This time she watched with a faint smile on her face. "They are making this far too easy, Jyl. Why didn't you see it before? The little one wants the boy, the princess wants the boy and the pirate is the one who has him! And they don't even know," she laughed loudly.

"_Shut up, foul witch. My temper runs short with you and the rest of this bloody universe, for that matter. To make matters worse my power has left me behind, a home without a person! And I can't help but wonder who it has chosen. Energy is never destroyed, a common law of 'physics.'_"

"I cannot help wondering what host they have chosen myself. A babe, I trust. Ancient magic has a thing for choosing newborns. But it concerns us not," she took another look into her necklace.

"_Get rid of that thing, it's only for show and you know it,_" Jyl said hotly and smacked Hart's hand.

She ignored this and smiled once again, "Now then, let the heart-break begin…"

*

Author's Note: I'd really like to know what everyone thinks of the way this story is going, because I'm not too sure myself! Please let me know if I should start again with a clean slate or continue…

-Jyl


	3. Important Notice!

Author's Note: I'm afraid to inform you all that Matters of the Hart is on contemporary leave. I was two-thirds of the way into the story until I realized Hart was hatching a plan similar to that of Yuugi. It'll be gone a while as I try desperately to alter Hart, but remember, that's all I plan on changing. All the scenes with the rest of the Tenchi characters will stay the same. I'll try and get it up ASAP. Toodles for now--oh, and a thank you Rel and William "Thundergod" Nichols for always reviewing my fics!

-Jyl


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